Is the N91 really an iPod killer?

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i am testing out a nokia n91 and am very impressed by the audio quality and solid hardware. rudy de waele posted his thoughts on the “ipod killer.”

maybe this device has features we may see on the long-rumored iphone from apple. he took it on a recent holiday and was impressed with many of the features that i enjoy on the new s60 third edition platform, such as the outstanding web browser and music player. there were also several new links posted on the n91 nseries blogger site that i recommend you check out if you are at all interested in this feature packed device.

user comments 46 comment(s)

why? why? why???(10:00am est fri sep 22 2006)why are the putting a 4gb hd in when they could use a more ebergy efficient 4gb cf or sd card??? they even come in 8gb now…. just give me a phone with a cf or sd slot and dont put any crappy drives in there!!!!!! – by jeeez

ipod killer?(10:05am est fri sep 22 2006)this term is being used on everything now. i think the thing that is going to be the downfall of the ipod is the ipod. part of the appeal was that it was unique and cool. now it is everywhere, so it loses some of that appeal. as a result, it is no longer as disreable. that is why we are starting to see declines in ipod sales, not any of these new products on the market.

now is an excellent time for other things to enter the market, thoug. as ipod becomes less cool, people will be looking for alternatives, especially ones that are cheaper and/or provide more features.

this is not an ipod killer, but it might be something of an ipod replacement. – by iv

oops(10:07am est fri sep 22 2006)desireable

not completely sure that is spelled right, but it is closer than the above. sorry if you couldn't figure out what i was trying to say. – by iv

ipod killer(10:11am est fri sep 22 2006)this phrase, first of all, is way too overused, as iv commented. but i don't actually think the ipod is going to go down anytime soon. i think the reason for the declines in sales is that the market is saturated with mp3 players as is. everyone that wants one has one, and no one has a good reason to upgrade yet. the ipod series hasn't experienced a major leap in a few years. color screens and larger capacities are great, but when you already own a player that works, why go out and spend another $300 for a relatively small update. each update is sexier than the last, however, so it does entice people to trade up. if/when apple releases this long-rumored iphone and/or widescreen ipod, i think we'll see another sales jump (as we saw with the first release of the nano). – by chipt

re: iv(10:52am est fri sep 22 2006)“part of the appeal was that it was unique and cool. now it is everywhere, so it loses some of that appeal..”

wrongo!the reason the ipod has become such a success is because it brought mp3 playing to mainstream. before those mp3 players were (besides big, ugly and heavy) difficult to use and update, with horrible ui's only really a really geeky person could use.then along came the ipod with its slick design and simplicity, anyone could just pick up one and start using it, the ipod became the walkman of this decade.– by riverama

re: iv(11:04am est fri sep 22 2006)“as a result, it is no longer as disreable. thatis why we are starting to see declines in ipod sales, not any of thesenew products on the market.”hey you are the usual anti-ipod idiot. where do you get your facts from? your arse as always.apple is still selling more ipods that the same date last year. oh yeah, you are so stupid that you don't understand seasonality of selling. – by

iv(11:30am est fri sep 22 2006)the poeple move in hurds or at least most do and most moved in the ipod direction as it was cool soon the herd will move on to the next thing. until then i wouldn't be see dead with one.

ipod is a statement and that statement is “i am a wannabe prat” and here is my membership badge. lol – by meme

re: too scared to post a name.(11:36am est fri sep 22 2006)why must you accuse everyone of being an anti ipod idiot?

it's the arrogance and idiotic behavior of people like you that push away potential ipod/apple customers. you are doing more harm to your beloved company than good.– by shut the hell up

by meme(11:48am est fri sep 22 2006)add to it that he/she can't spell!

it's one thing to make condescending remarks on others and their behaviors, but then you look like a complete moron and lose all credibility when you cannot structure your thoughts into complete statements and with proper spelling. (and good god, don't make it completely obvious by typing ipod in all-caps!!) – by d9

re: iv(11:56am est fri sep 22 2006)actually you should shut the hell up.here the facts, you idiot:from the 3q results of apple:apple computer inc. easily topped wall street's income forecast forthe third quarter with a profit increase of about 48%, largelysupported by the continued popularity of its industry-leading ipodmusic player.

the company headed by steve jobs transmitted 1.3 million macintoshcomputers and 8.1 million ipods, the smashing leader among digitalmusic players, during the quarter. the numbers represent a 12% growthin mac sales and more than a 32% hike for ipods from the 3q in 2005. – by

the real ipod killer…(11:57am est fri sep 22 2006)…is the ipod itself. 93 cents worth of parts and then another 19 cents of labor. yeah let me shell out a couple of hundred for that. oh yea, i get drm with that too. i'd rather do my own dental work. – by 0tt0

re: meme(12:01pm est fri sep 22 2006)“ipod is a statement and that statement is “i am a wannabe prat” and here is my membership badge. “

obviously. i mean it's entirely out of the question that the ipod is so popular because it's actually good, right? so it's completely style over substance? and that's why competitor's have entered the market and failed time and time again.

before assuming that people gravitate toward something because they're sheep (or simply seduced by the meme), consider first whether you are averse to the thing because you actually dislike it or because you dislike that everyone else likes it.

– by chipt

0tt0(12:06pm est fri sep 22 2006)dude, you don't have to buy your music from apple. there are still cds, you know. show me an online retailer that doesn't include drm. you can't use that as an arguement against the ipod.

and while your at it, show me the player that give you the functionality and the capacity for a couple hundred less than an ipod. oh, that's right. you can't.

oh, and off of what chipt said, there's a word for people who dislike things just because everyone else likes it. a hater. – by miles prower

my facts(12:07pm est fri sep 22 2006)my facts came from a recent article posted on wired online. it was posted before q3 results, so apple had its first two consecutive quarters with declining ipod sales (it didn't mention overall profits).

the opinions were based on my own logic. – by iv

efficiency wins…(12:09pm est fri sep 22 2006)working with someone who had two ipods (photo & video editions), i quickly took notice to the sufficient battery life of these things. on average lasting 7hrs playing music randomly over two days, thats 14hrs playback on one charge! nokia is 5hrs max. – by cheap solution for a

i'm not a hater(12:29pm est fri sep 22 2006)i just wish they would sell the thing for what it's worth. oh, that's right, i bet it's bush's fault the company makes these in sweatshops at a cost of 99 cents a pop then people make no bones about paying a couple of hundred for one because they want to show that what's important is one's possessions and not one's character. decadence is more important than common sense to way too many people – by 0tt0

0tt0(12:56pm est fri sep 22 2006)the ipod costs about half of what it sells for, to make, right? well then you can tack another 10-25% for development costs, advertising, etc. that's pretty reasonable. apple then receives a 25%-40% profit. pretty hefty, but then, their product is so successful. not to mention most of apple's profit margins are around that i think.. – by jove

re: iv (12:57pm est fri sep 22 2006)based on your lies:” my facts came from a recent article posted on wired online. it was posted before q3 results, so apple had its first two consecutive quarters with declining ipod sales (it didn't mention overall profits).”let me see that would mean that would include q1, 2006.q1 2006 apple sold the most amount of ipods (14,043,000).“http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/jan/18results.html”. any more lies from you? – by

conspiracy(1:46pm est fri sep 22 2006)yessiree, that's why ms, real, et. al can't seem to make any inroads into the ipod/itms marketshare. they just don't have any fashion sense!

and they also can't seem to locate those sweatshops where apple magically produces those ipods for $1.50.

and their advertising is actually a sophisticated form of mind control which only the cia knows about.

of course, i recently saw pictures of the zune and ms is definitely under apple mind control. – by synthmeister

here is the quote:tomi ahonen, a technology brand expert and author, said: 'for the first time the ipod has had two consecutive falls after 17 quarters of growth. if i were the manager, i would be wanting my people to explain what is going on. the ipod is wilting away before our eyes.'

better? – by iv

re: iv(2:08pm est fri sep 22 2006)and that is only one opinion from that article. the sales figures of ipod does not support his opinion and yours for that matter.if you would have bothered to read the rest of the article. you would seen this one:“but commentators argue that the ipod's status as a 21st-centuryfashion symbol is assured. leander kahney, author of the cult of mac, said: 'i thought they would become pass last year but they haven't, and i don't see much sign that they will.”

unnamed angry person above…(3:16pm est fri sep 22 2006)you sound just like my ex-wife.stop drinking nitric acid for breakfast.the ipod isn't perfect and in some places it's not doing so well. in other places it is doing very well. get some balance and drop the vitriol – you come across as a very unhappy person, and a bit of a tosser. – by sigmundfraud

word(3:56pm est fri sep 22 2006)if you use “tosser” when telling someone off, you automatically win the argument – by miles prower

yeah right sigmundfraud(4:11pm est fri sep 22 2006)“the ipod isn't perfect and in some places it's not doing so well. in other places it is doing very well.” hey idiot, way to go with your continual lying, apple is doing very well.in its first quarter results of 2006, apple reported earnings of us$565 million ó its highest quarterly revenue in the company's history“http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/jan/18results.html”and its third quarter results of 2006, apple reported its second highest quarter revenue in the company's history.“http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/07/20060719164004.shtml”hey sigmandfraud, you are a pathological liar as always. – by

re: jove(4:23pm est fri sep 22 2006)maybe you're right about 1/2 the cost. i'm sure the those who make the things (and those who make all the parts that go into it) make at least $21/hr, belong to a union, and have a big pension waiting for them.

– by 0tt0

apple is dead(5:33pm est fri sep 22 2006)zune is the player – by gatesnub

not enuf battery for phone $ music(8:33pm est fri sep 22 2006)4 hours of talk time? people live and die by their mobile's talk time. and you wanna add in music, where coincidentally people live and die by their music? that spells death by battery. ooh, and look, you can only use pc, not mac, and ooh, look you have to use wmp exclusively. that's a real winner software/hardware combo, no?ease of use, elegant design, seamless integration, top of the line syncing,and even competitive pricing, that spells itunes and ipod. – by amazing: no ipod

zune is the player…ha! ha! ha!(1:02am est sat sep 23 2006)i've never seen and heard so much rubbish about a product no one has bought or used, yet proclaimed so much adoration for!

at least ipod users can state through experience the validity of its worth. zune is based on nothing but microsoft spin doctor's tales. keep drinking the koolaid, kids!! (which by all reports, zune still looks like it's going to be a pos)

good god…are you the same people who buy the bogus penny stocks in those spam emails?! – by d9

spinach(10:22am est sat sep 23 2006)if pollution is the cause of the e. coli outbreak.how come other veggies are not effected? – by hmmm

republicans(10:48am est sat sep 23 2006)the republicans are suppose to be tuff on terrorism.but they were going to sell are ports to united arab emirates leaving a country with ties to the sept. 11 hijackers with influence over a maritime industry considered vulnerable to terrorism.plus they could drive a truck load of terrorist viva the mexican border. – by hmmm

re: hmmm(12:28pm est sat sep 23 2006)i know this modus operandi of this usual stupid anti-ipod idiot hmmm. hmmm argues like my ex-girl friend. when this idiot lose an argument, he tried to change the topic to an issue that is not even closely related. sorry, hmmm probably has attention deficit disorder. i bet hmmm interjects “i have a blue bike” in his conversation as well. – by ipod

never seen this hype?(1:41pm est sat sep 23 2006)someone said they have never seen so much hype for an unrealeased product. one counterexample (among many): the g5 mac. – by iv

zune – ipod killer(4:41pm est sat sep 23 2006)a color screen, a innovative menu button for selection, can play mp3, include a music store download service. this is really a ipod killer. – by gatesnub

gatesnub(7:02am est sun sep 24 2006)“a color screen, a innovative menu button for selection, can play mp3, include a music store download service. this is really a ipod killer”

wow those sure are innovative features…can't think of any other players like that, wait! dayum, how could i have forgotten. sounds just like all those other ipod killers that worked under plays4sure. you remember plays4sure? that was that other initiative that ms started with their partners to combat the ipod. guess that didn't work out so well since ms is not including any of them in the zune community.

but what's missing? oh yeah, anyone getting excited to buy the thing. maybe ms can gather that oh-so-great 2-5 percent of the market. i'm sure that will be exactly what they are grasping for. i mean, it's worked so well for apple in personal computers, as so many gamers have gloated about for years. – by gamrsrtards

re: 0tt0(11:00am est sun sep 24 2006)

right, blame aapl because the workers in red chinaís leninist dictatorship arenít being paid $21/hr to make ipods. that is absurd to the extreme. btw, unions are powerless in red china because the ccp controls everything with a steel fist and have decided itís in theyíre interest to have cheap-arse wages.

– by dean

well wat i think(1:16am est mon sep 25 2006)well i dont find the ipod easy to use or innovative at all. i bought a iriver mp3 player in 2004 that had color, a built in radio, voice recorder, and the ability to open photos or documents and it only cost 250 dollars for its 20gb version not to metion i found that program easier to use than that of apples. itunes is just another marketing tool. if people would just sit down and research before they buy things they would find easier to use and cheaper products out there. but its all on marketing. thats how you make sales. hell my iriver had a carbon fiber shell and wasnt that much fatter but they did no advertising. well anyway i think mac and steve jobs are tools for microsoft, whos on top now b!tch – by cheese

re chipt(6:22am est mon sep 25 2006)“consider first whether you are averse to the thing because you actually dislike it or because you dislike that everyone else likes it.”

interesting question not sure of the enswer to that, possible a little from column 'a' and a little from column 'b'.

fact largest number of ipod owners we're unaware of the full feature set when they brought it and certainly didn't compare it against any other brands they brought it to be one of the herd. now thats a fact.

it may be a great product and maybe i'm spiting myself by not getting one but to own one would embarass me. sorry for any offence my wording may have been a little harsh in my first post.

– by meme

re: meme and cheese(10:59am est mon sep 25 2006)marketing? yeah right. consumer reports does not listen to marketing.here is what consumer reports says about the ipod nano:the bottom line: the nano is the top choice among mp3 players, with what may be the best-yet combination of size, storage, and ergonomic ease.

here is what consumer reports says about the video ipod:the new ipod is no better than competent as a video player, with limitations in display size and quality, and battery life. the selection of prerecorded content is as yet limited. and the jury's still out on the long-term future of using the ipod for tv shows and movies, since holding it (or any other portable device) near your eyes for an extended period of time can be tiring.

but it's an engaging way to watch rock videos and the like. and when it comes to playing music, apple has taken an already fine player and made it even better. we recommend the $299 30-gb ipod as the first choice for most people for a high-capacity mp3 player. if you have a very large music collection or want maximum battery life, consider the 60-gb version. – by ipod

information please(1:38pm est mon sep 25 2006)when i read a review and comments it would be best to stick with the item in question, not a rant over ipod sales and such. i agree the reviewer started it by saying ipod killer.

re: qwerty(2:36pm est mon sep 25 2006)i understand what you're saying… however, that ipod retard always knows best. he will point you to a consumer reports article and force an ipod on you, all the meantime, calling you an anti-ipod idiot.

i think your best bet is to get all these in a smaller seperate form factor and settle with lesser quality.

i carry my phone with limited contact and calendar info but have a fullblown organiser on my computer which i sync.

i also carry around 1 of my ipods depending on what i'm doing, i have a 20gb and a shuffle.

as for portable computer apps… i'm not 1 to pry into your business… what spreadsheet are you in such a hurry to update that you can't do it at night when you pull in?

have you tried a treo or a new blackberry?

– by ipod's arnt 4 every1

off topic(7:44am est tue sep 26 2006)it's pretty amazing how off topic this has all got. i thought the article was actually about a mobile phone, and not the ipod. – by bg

re: qwerty(10:57am est tue sep 26 2006)i call anti-ipod idiot for their lies. remember iv comment: “as a result, it is no longer as disreable. thatis why we are starting to see declines in ipod sales, not any of thesenew products on the market.”sure right.apple is doing very well.in its first quarter results of 2006, apple reported earnings of us$565 million ó its highest quarterly revenue in the company's history“http://www.apple.com/pr/library/20

06/jan/18results.html”and its third quarter results of 2006, apple reported its second highest quarter revenue in the company's history.“http://www.macrumors.com/pages/200

6/07/20060719164004.shtml”do you have a thing against consumer reports because they highly recommend ipods? do you dispute any other recommendation against consumer reports? when then you are an idiot. – by

nokia phone vs. ipod (9:58am est sun oct 01 2006)i've had a generous *actually read ridiculous* number of gadgets the past couple of years. pdas, smartphones, ipods, discmans, laptops, you name it. first i thought i'd love a “do-it-all”, so got a sonyericsson p800 wich served me fine for a year or so. replaced an mp3 player, a digicam and a phone and even laptop for web stuff for a while. cool, i thought. after basicall all blackberries, sonyericssons (smartphones or just phones), ipaq's, pocket pc smartphones or pdas, guess what is my setup?!

a g4 12″ ibook i carry around, a hx4700 ipaq vga, video ready, mp3 ready, wifi'ed, blah bla that is forgotten bottom bag, a ancient sonyericsson t610, a nikon d50 digital slr and a gen. 1 shuffle! not the black nano i have at home, dusting. thing is i gave up the “do-it-all” dream. don't know how exactly, but i'm really really productive now, granted the extra load. still, there's stuff i can't do online via the vga ipaq so i need the laptop. no phone can take pics like a slr. no phone works best than a … phone. no mp3 player is more straightforward than the dull, basic shuffle. play..skip..skip.. play!

plus, the most important thing, if laptop dies, i have the pda. if pda dies, i got the ipod. i wont drain phone battery listening to music or connecting to wlans. won't clogh my pda/phone/mp3 combo with 3mp crap pictures when i got a camera to do just that.

sorry for the extensive bla bla. but no, given the way things turned out for me, i strongly combat any combo *the nokia here* spelling trouble for the ipod. – by ray

what's the huss about…(9:42pm est sat jan 27 2007)hi all.you know, after reading all the posts, i can see some ipod advocates, some zune fans, some mac lovers, some micrsoft admirers.so i'll take the neutral side of things since i have never owned an ipod nor a zune, nor will i ever will since they were not the first mp3 devices nor will they be the last ones.

the reality is that before the ipod came out into the market, macintrash was on the verge of closing doors. sure they had their g series computers, but really besides graphic designers, and some people who prefer no-brain computers, and some imacs as giftst to university campuses, not a whole lot of people really buy them. they are toys, in the sense that you can only really play on them, not work on them. unless of course your work is to play, but out of 300 million of people in the us, less than 1 percent have real jobs which have to do with “playing” on the computer.

on the winblows side, we got the giant who wants to make it all his, and while their softwares are more developed than per say macintrash, all their proprietary software simply chains you to a 1 life style, their life style. windows, zune, x-box, etc…

if we see beyond this, well beyond the united states which only has 300 million people, and lets say talk about something bigger like china with 1,500 million people, we can see that every year there are more than 300 million music players incluing cell phones being sold. of which maybe 0.0001% are ipods.which are around 30,000 ipods.

the digital music player is part of every day life in asia, and everyone has one. the first mp3 players came from china and this is years before the ipod existed. there are things much more advanced than the ipod in other parts of the world or than zune as well.

so the point here is just, don't let the flashy ipod or the slick zune blind you. not everything that shines is pure gold.the ipod and/or zune are simply just another mp3 player in the entire world market of music players.– by macintrashwinblows